Electrosurgical glove

ABSTRACT

A glove for use in electrosurgical and/or electrocauterization procedures which includes a flexible electrode integrally carried on the volar surface of at least one of the digits of the glove and electrically connected to one end of an electrically insulated, remotely extending, flexible lead, and through which relatively high frequency electrical current may be passed to an electrically conductive instrument grasped in the gloved hand of the surgeon and thence directly to the tissue to be cauterized or otherwise treated.

United States Patent [191 Vise [ Nov, 5, 1974 ELECTROSURGICAL GLOVE [76]Inventor: William Michael Vise, 3440 Olentangy River Rd, Columbus, Ohio43210 [22] Filed: Apr. 24, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 353,977

[52] US. Cl. 1128/303.l3, 128/404 [51] int. Cl A61n 3/00 [58] Field ofSearch 128/0241, 024.5, 303.13,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 206,474 7/1878 Morel128/0245 1,046,985 12/1912 Creedon... 128/411 1,536,273 5/1925 Schnee128/0245 1,915,721 6/1933 Diaz 128/0245 X Primary Examiner-Channing L.Pace Attorney, Agent, or Firm-William S. Rambo [5 7 ABSTRACT A glove foruse in electrosurgical and/or electrocuuterization procedures whichincludes a flexible electrode integrally carried on the volar surface ofat least one of the digits of the glove and electrically connected toone end of an electrically insulated, remotely extending, flexible lead,and through which relatively high frequency electrical current may bepassed to an electrically conductive instrument grasped in the glovedhand of the surgeon and thence directly to the tissue to be cauterizedor otherwise treated.

2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDNBV 5 I974 fill T0 GLOVEELECTROSURGICAL GLOVE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relatesgenerally to surgical equipment and more particularly to a surgicalglove having a built-in electrical contact or electrode and anassociated lead through which high frequency electrical current may bepassed to a conductive surgical instrument held in the gloved hand ofthe surgeon, to thereby facilitate the electrocauterization of bleedingvessels or other tissue during surgical operations.

In the past it has been common practice during surgical operations,particularly during neurosurgery, to arrest bleeding by coagulating orcauterizing blood vessels through the application of a high frequencyelectrical arc to the vessels or ambient tissue. However, suchelectrocauterization ordinarily required the coordinated efforts of boththe surgeon and an assistant who, upon verbal command from the surgeon,touched an elongated metal stick or wand-like electrode to the forcepsor other electrically conductive instrument held in the hand of thesurgeon in close proximity to the bleeding vessel or tissue, so as toestablish a high frequency electrical are at the bleeding area andthereby cauterize such area. The intervention of the surgeons assistantin this electrocauterization procedure presented many difficulties andattendant hazards. First, the time required to effect hemostasis by thisprocedure was, to a large degree dependent upon the speed of reactionand dexterity of both the surgeon and the assistant. Also, the hazardsattendant to the forceful striking or undue impact of the assistantselectrode upon the surgeons instrument, when the latter occupied aposition within the brain or other delicate area of the body, arebelieved obvious. Another problem arises if the assistant shouldaccidentally contact the wrong one of the many instruments normallypresent in the surgical field.

Thus, electrocautery, as previously practiced with the aid of anassistant to handle the wand-like output electrode of the high frequencygenerator frequently monopolized the majority of the assistants time inthe careful management of the electrosurgical paraphernalia and left agood deal to be desired both from the standpoint of patient safety andthe maintenance of well-coordinated efforts between surgeon andassistant.

SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides asurgical glove having a built-in, preferably flexible, electrode andassociated electrical lead so arranged as to directly conduct highfrequency electrical current to an electrically conductive instrument,such as a forceps or scalpel held in the surgeon's hand.

The primary object of this invention is to provide an electrosurgicalglove to be worn by a surgeon during operations and other surgicalprocedures, and which, through the provision of a built-in electrode,permits the surgeon to perform electrocautery and/or'electrosurgicalprocedures without relying upon the abilities of a surgical assistant tomanage a separate electrode stick.

Another important object is to add speed and accuracy to electrosurgicalprocedures and a convenient electrosurgical tool for the surgeon.

Other objects are to provide an electrosurgical glove which permits ofmore expeditious cauterization of bleeding vessels; which permits thesurgeon to more delicately handle the electrocautery procedures; andwhich eliminates the need for a number of special coagulatinginstruments heretofore used in the operative field.

These and additional objects and advantages of the invention will becomemore readily apparent from the following description and theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 'FIG. 1 is a perspective view of amonopolar electrosurgical glove according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged transverse vertical sectional view takenapproximately ona plane indicated by the line 2-2 of FIG. 1 and showingparticularly the disposition of the electrode on the volar surface ofthe thumb portion of the glove;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken throughthe insulated lead on a plane indicated by the line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a modified, bipolar electrosurgicalglove according to this invention; and FIG. 5 is an electrical circuitdiagram of a high frequency valve generator ofa type commonly used tosupply high frequency operating current for electrosurgery.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As used herein, the termselectrosurgical and electrosurgery are intended to include within theirdefinitions tissue cauterization as well as cutting operations performedthrough the medium of a high frequency electrical arc.

FIG. 1 of the drawings illustrates a monopolar electrosurgical gloveaccording to this invention and which comprises a conventional,thin-walled, fluidimpervious rubber latex surgical glove or sheath 10having integrally adjoining plural digit-receiving portions 11 and ahandreceiving portion 12 which terminates in a relatively elongatedwrist-receiving sleeve portion 13. Adhesively or otherwise suitablysecured to at least one of the digitreceiving portions 11, preferably onthe volar surface of the thumb portion of the glove, is an electrode 14in the form of a strip of relatively fine, flexible, conductive metalwire mesh. The electrode strip 14 is preferably surface coated with asynthetic resin or rubber latex adhesive 15 impregnated with asufficient quantity of graphite or carbon black to make the coatingelectrically conductive.

The electrically conductive adhesive coating serves to securely yetflexibly bond the electrode strip 14 in a partial spiral around the sideand volar surfaces of the thumb-receiving portion of the rubber latexglove l0 and in a position where it will normally make direct electricalcontact with a surgical instrument, such as a forceps or scalpel,grasped in the gloved hand of the surgeon. Preferably formed as anintegral continuation of the flexible wire mesh electrode strip 14, isan elongated, remotely extending wire mesh or other suitableelectrically conductive lead strip 116 having an electrically insulatingouter covering 17 of flexible, dielectric material. The insulatingcovering 17 for the electrical lead strip 16 may consist of rubber latexand may be applied by dipping or successive immersion of the lead stripinto a body of liquid rubber latex. The insulating covering 17 of thelead strip 16 is integrally bonded or adhesively secured to the outersurface of the glove l and extends rearwardly thereof and terminates ina quick detachable, snap-type electrical connector terminal 18projecting outwardly beyond the wrist portion 13 of the glove 10.

As may be readily visualized, the snap-type electrical connectorterminal 18 is arranged for detachable connection with a cooperativelyshaped, female connector terminal (not shown) which is electricallyconnected with an end of a suitably insulated, remotely extending leadwire l9'which is electrically connected with the output side of a sourceof high frequency (0.3-1.5 megacycles per second) electrical current,such as the conventional high frequency valve-type generator 20 showndiagrammaticallyin FIG. 5. Advantageously, the lead wire 19 may bearranged so as to extend upwardly in the back of the surgeon s gown,thence downwardly and outwardly through a sleeve of the gown where itterminates in a cooperative connector terminal. lf desired, the remotelyextending lead-in wire for connection with the glove terminal 18 may bepermanently sewn or otherwise built into the surgeons gown so as not tohamper or impede free bodily movement by the surgeon.

In using the electrosurgical glove illustrated in FIGS. l-3, the gloveis placed in the usual way upon the operating hand of the surgeon andthe connector terminal 18 is-electrically connected with a cooperativeterminal (not shown) connected with the output lead 19 of the highfrequency generator 20. The opposite output lead 21 of the generator iselectrically grounded as is the body of the patient in accordance withaccepted and conventional electrosurgical procedures. Thus, during thecourse of an operation, should the surgeon wish to apply a highfrequency electrical arc to a bleeding vessel or other tissue, he maysimply move the electrically conductive instrument which he has in hisgrasp into close proximity or actual contact with the bleeding vessel orthe selected tissue and momentarily close a switch22 connected in theoutput lead 19 of the generator. The switch 22 is preferably a normallyopen push button-type switch which may be actuated by either the foot,or arm of the surgeon, or, for that matter, by a nurse or surgicalassistant on command from the surgeon. In any event, the speed anddelicacy with which a cauterizing or cutting arc may be applied'to theselected area is greatly increased due to the direct electrical contactbetween the glove electrode 14 and the metal or otherwise electricallyconductive instrument held in the operative, gloved hand of the surgeon.

HO. 4 of the drawings illustrates a modified, bipolar form ofelectrosurgical glove a which .is particularly adapted for use withspecial forceps or other bifurcated surgical instruments having two ormore electrically conductive, but relatively insulated legs or prongsthrough which high frequency electrical current may be passed to aselected area of the body of a patient, without the need forelectrically grounding the patient. This bipolar glove 10a is in allrespects indentical to the monopolartype glove shown in FIGS. 1-3, withthe exception that it includes in its construction a second electrode140 adhesively bonded or otherwise secured on the volar surface of thesecond finger or digit of the glove in normally spaced apart relation tothe thumb mounted electrode 14. The second electrode 14a is alsoprovided with a flexible, electrically insulated lead 17a which isbonded or otherwise adhesively secured to the outer surface of the glove10a in generally spaced apart, parallel relation to the lead 17. Thelead 170 also terminates a distance beyond the wrist portion 13a of theglove in a second, snap-type electrical connector terminal 18a.

In the use of the bipolar-type glove 10a, the output lead wires 19 and21 of the high frequency current generator 20 will be electricallyconnected with the respective connector terminals 18 and 18a of theglove and thence through the leads l7 and 17a to the electrodes 14 and14a. A forceps or bifurcated clamp-type instrument (not shown) may beheld in the surgeons hand with the electrodes 14 and 14a in contact,respectively, with the opposed, relatively insulated legs or prongs ofthe instrument. The opposed legs or prongs of the instrument may then bemoved into close proximity or contact with a bleeding vessel or selectedarea of tissue to pass an electrical arc thereto upon momentary closureof the switch 22.

' In view of the foregoing, it will be apparent that the presentinvention provides a new and useful electrosurgical glove having one ormore built-in electrodes by means of which the surgeon may establish anoperative electrical circuit between an instrument held in his glovedhand and the output of a Bovie or other conventional type of highfrequency electrical current generator without the usual intervention ofan assistant. This greatly facilitates and speeds electrocautery and/orelectrosurgical procedures as heretofore performed through the combinedefforts of both the surgeon and an assistant charged with handling theelectrode of the electrosurgical generator.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated anddescribed in detail, it will be understood that various modifications indetails of construction and design are possible without departing fromthe spirit of the invention or the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. An electrosurgical glove comprising a thin, fluid impervious sheathof flexible, dielectric material formed with integral hand and pluraldigit receiving portions; a flexible electrode unitarily secured on atleast one of the digit-receiving portions of said sheath in a positionto normally make electrical contact with I wherein said electrode andsaid lead comprise a single,

integral strip of readily flexible, fine metal wire mesh, and whereinthe said opposite end of said lead terminates beyond the hand-receivingportion of said sheath in a quick detachable connector terminal.

1. An electrosurgical glove comprising a thin, fluid impervious sheathof flexible, dielectric material formed with integral hand and pluraldigit - receiving portions; a flexible electrode unitarily secured on atleast one of the digit-receiving portions of said sheath in a positionto normally make electrical contact with a surgical instrument graspedby the digits of a human hand occupying said sheath, said electrodeincluding a thin, substantially flat strip of a readily flexible,electrically conductive material, having an outer coating of a flexible,electrically conductive adhesive; and a flexible, electrically insulatedlead adhesively secured to said sheath and electrically joined at oneend thereof with said electrode and having an opposite end disposed inremote relation to said electrode and arranged for connection with asource of electrical energy.
 2. An electrosurgical glove according toclaim 1, wherein said electrode and said lead comprise a single,integral strip of readily flexible, fine metal wire mesh, and whereinthe said opposite end of said lead terminates beyond the hand-receivingportio of said sheath in a quick detachable connector terminal.